Social Media

How 3 Mashable Readers Landed Jobs Via Social Media

At Mashable, we believe that our community is our biggest asset. We love it when you tell us your success stories. Part of our mission is to empower people through social and digital media.

As Alyssa Milano wrote in her TIME 100 article on Pete Cashmore, Mashable "gives voice to millions who are trying to make their lives better through digital innovation."

When digital innovation and real lives combine, that's where inspiration happens — specifically, your inspiration. Here are three fantastic tales from our readers about how digital media helped each land a job or launch a career.

Starting Up on Social Media Day

Last year, Desiree Ford organized the Phoenix Social Media Day Meetup, an informal networking event for more than 500 people. But it wasn't her first time engaging with Social Media Day. She wrote to tell us that the year before, she founded her business, Pink Media, on the inaugural Social Media Day.

"I had been a long time user of Twitter and Facebook as well as a freelance designer," she wrote. "I started networking in Phoenix, which lead me to helping people understand how to use Facebook and other social media.

"A lot of people told me to make it into a business, but it wasn't until I started seeing all the posts and buzz around #SMDay on Twitter that I really thought I could turn it into a business. On June 29, I bought the domain, got the social media name, made a logo and sent out an email on June 30, declaring myself as a business.

"I then went down to the LLC office and made it official."

Pink Media is still going strong and will celebrate the two-year anniversary of Ford's business on Social Media Day this year.

From Canada to India, via Twitter

Blair Henatyzen wrote us last year to tell us that an article we'd written helped him land a job. Blair wasn't looking for a new position, but after learning how to use advanced Twitter search to find a job, he performed a quick search out of curiosity.

He wound up finding a job in an exotic, far-flung location: Bangalore, India.

He wrote: "I found the opportunity literally within minutes of reading the article. I applied and went from there. There was no plan to move anywhere. No plan to try anything else. I was happy with what I was doing.

"The scenario just kinda popped up and I thought why not? The job is similar to what I was doing in Canada. However, this gave me the chance to travel and see a part of the world I had never seen before."

We're thrilled to hear that a post we wrote about Twitter quickly and efficiently made a positive impact on one of our reader's lives.

Not Just a Fan Anymore

In December we told you about two NBA fans who had started up Twitter accounts to help drum up support for the Philadelphia 76ers mascot contest. Only, the 76ers reacted with legal threats, and the two turned over their accounts.

Jerry Rizzo, one of the two fans, reached out to us to tell his story. At first, it seemed an organization had misunderstood the power of its fans. But the story took a better turn. Rizzo was ultimately offered a job as a social media coordinator for the team, an opportunity that he described as "kind of like a dream job."

Got a story to tell us? We'd love to hear it. Let us know in the comments, or tweet us @mashableHQ. We'd love to hear how social media and digital innovation is making your life better.

And if you think we're doing a good job, please vote for us in the Webby Awards — we're nominated in the Websites category for best business blog.

There are two honors for each category: the Webby Award and the Webby People's Voice Award. Members of the academy will select the winners of the Webby Awards, and the public will determine the winners of The People's Voice.

You can help us win the People's Voice Award by voting here! Polls are open from now until April 26.

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is a leading source for news, information and resources for the Connected Generation. Mashable reports on the importance of digital innovation and how it empowers and inspires people around the world. Mashable's record 42 million unique visitors worldwide and 21 million social media followers are one of the most influential and engaged online communities. Founded in 2005, Mashable is headquartered in New York City with an office in San Francisco.